Philippe, Théo and Bob share the same cell in the prison of La Santé. Philippe, a young student, known as "Sciences-Po", is planning revenge against those who sent him to prison. He offers his two fellow prisoners, seasoned mobsters, to help him recover an important document from a diamond dealer in Le Havre. This paper would rehabilitate his father, his two comrades being able to keep the diamonds contained in the safe... But the coup does not go as planned.

A young provincial has come to Paris to study Chinese. From a modest background, he has to do odd jobs to survive, finding accommodation as best he can in a furnished room where he is hardly free. Not being wealthy, he has solved his travel problems by getting a tandem, which, in the streets of Paris, is rather rare. Eccentric, unpredictable but tender, Georges, known as "Guidon Futé", falls in love with one of his classmates from Langues Orientales.

The body of a young woman is discovered near a farm. The judge, Larcher is in charge and thinks that the farmers have something to do with the murder.

The story is about Arnault (J. Gatteau) trying to educate himself a virgin wife by keeping Betty (Lise Pinson) effectively prisoner in the country house of her foster parents (Lemieuvre & Barthel). This does not work, Betty falls in love with some young guitar player (the guy looks a bit like Woody Harrelson, but with hair), and after raping her out of bitterness, Arnault is back to his usual female companions, whores.

An ill-assorted group of international criminals executes a tightly-planned ransom sting in Spain. Things go along swimmingly until various tensions within the group come to the fore.

In czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.